Friday Finish -- one for the dogs!

No, really, this one is for the dogs! Our Maltese puppies sometimes have to stay in a kennel, which they don't like very much--laps are so much more comfy--so they scratch and fuss the whole time. That means that they put some wear and tear on the kennel pads.

Since the mats are in horrible shape, I checked on the cost of replacing the smaller one. Wow! The cheapest one is $15 on Amazon Prime. No way! I did some quick math and decided that we could not afford to buy kennel mats for the three puppies, especially since I have everything to make mats right here at home.

So I made mats. I was able to finish two mats this morning, but we have only two kennels, so that was about perfect. One kennel is small. We keep it in the camper to put Cotton in on those days when we go places where he is not welcome. We enjoy museums and such so, when we travel, we need to keep Cotton safe inside the camper. 

The larger kennel is big enough for both of the girl puppies. We rarely bring Candy anywhere because she gets car sick...not a pleasant situation for anyone. But there are times when she needs to get in a vehicle and I want her to be comfortable and safe. 

Little, on the other hand, needs to be held down. She has energy...lots of energy and a cage is necessary so that she doesn't jump out of a window.  

This bright yellow mat goes in Cotton's kennel. It's made from fabric I bought to make Dusti a little dress when she was about four. She is 17 now. It has a soft, silky hand. 

I plan to keep the old mat and just put this one on top. The old one is not torn, just worn, but it has a thick outside edge that Cotton likes to rest his head on.

The blue one is much larger and will go in the girls' kennel. I plan to put a cotton rug, folded in half, for extra thickness with this mat on top. To give the puppies a softer edge, I put in a thick cotton piping insert that I bought many years ago. (I intended to make a casual, comfy seat cover, but the thickness of the piping insert was more work than I bargained for so it never happened.) 

The original mat is gone. We used it without the kennel, and puppies are hard on everything. This one will make a nice replacement, so regardless of when or why we use the kennels, the puppies will be more comfortable and safer.

Linking up with

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday at Crazy Dutch Bird Quilts

Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Crazy Mom Quilts